My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 118

Chapter 118

Raphael didn’t even look embarrassed. He reached into one of the many pockets of his black cargo pants and pulled out a leather wallet.

“How much to forget you saw me tonight, Shorty?” he rasped.

Jules didn’t look at me for permission. She didn’t hesitate. She looked at the wallet, then back up at the man infront of her.

“Five hundred bucks,” she said, “Cash. Right now. Or I’m going straight to Mom’s room and telling her you were trying to eat Ginny’s face.”

“Jules!” I gasped, my jaw dropping. “You can’t-Raphael, don’t—”

But it was too late. Raphael flipped open the wallet. His fingers flicked through a stack of crisp bills. He pulled out five hundred-dollar bills and held them out.

Jules snatched them so fast I thought I heard the air whistle. She did a quick count, her little eyes gleaming with a terrifying, capitalistic fire.

“Pleasure doing business with you, Raphael,” she chirped. She stuffed the money into her pajama pocket and turned on her heel. “Goodnight, Ginny. Try not to get caught making out with your brother.”

She skipped back into the house, the glass door clicking shut behind her.

“Jules! Get back here!” I hissed “Jules, you give that back! You don’t-”

I lunged forward, my feet slipping on the cold stone as I tried to chase after her. My mind was a blur of horror. If she told my mother, if she even joked about this at breakfast, my life was over. I had to grab her and make her swear on her life that she was joking.

But I didn’t get more than two steps.

A hand shot out. Raphael’s fingers wrapped around my upper arm. He yanked me back, the force of it spinning me around until I slammed right into him.

I didn’t look at him. I turned and sprinted toward the glass doors. My mind was a mess of worst-case scenarios: my mother’s face when Jules’ lies to her that we were kissing in the dark.

I reached the door and grabbed the handle, but some magnetic pull made me stop. I looked back over my shoulder.

Raphael hadn’t moved.

He was still standing in the exact same spot, a tall, dark silhouette against the moonlight. Even from across the garden, I could feel the weight of his gaze.

I shivered, finally feeling the cold night air hitting my skin, and ducked inside, sliding the door shut with a trembling hand.